Michal Shapiro is the associate director of music programming for Link TV, a non-commercial satellite channel broadcasting free of charge into over 29 million U.S. homes. It is her job to search the globe to find and assess world music videos and music documentaries for the channel. She is also responsible for creating the video blocks that are a favorite destination for Link viewers. She is approaching the creation of the 100th block.

Shapiro comes to this task with a background in music, journalism, and visual arts. She has been a professional singer since the age of nine, has recorded and toured internationally, and does not remember a time when she did not draw or paint. She has produced eight critically acclaimed world music CD compilations (complete with books she researched, edited, and authored) under the auspices of a company known for its lavish “coffee table” book and CD presentations. She has also written for numerous world music publications, most notably Global Rhythm Magazine, Rootsworld.com, and Songlines, and has exhibited her paintings in New York City galleries in Chelsea and Williamsburg. She continues to sing publicly and record, and has co-produced several avant-jazz CDs. It was her fascination with the connections between music and visual arts such as film and animation that drew her to work with Link TV.